His Dream Woman
by Luna Star 12
Summary: A secret love is finally finding a chance to reveal itself in this story about two sworn enemies.
1. Chapters 1&2

AN: Sorry once again for the long wait!! And to a rude commenter who disables PMing, I could care less what you think. Anyway, I'm still re-editing the rest of the chapters but I wanted to get the start up tonight. Thank you all so much!

Chapter 1: A Chance Meeting

* * *

There she was again, beautiful as always in her uniform robes, walking up to him on the platform for the Hogwarts Express. He hugged her tightly and then kissed her on the cheek. He took a step back to introduce her properly to his parents, but he saw the scowls on their faces and instantly knew that they would never accept her. Disheartened, Draco would attempt to tell his parents every reason he loved this girl, but the dream would begin to fade away before he could ever begin…

Slowly waking up, Draco realized this would be another sleepless night. He decided to patrol the castle, hoping the empty corridors could clear his thoughts. He quickly threw some clothes on and grabbed his wand and his prefect badge as he headed out of his room.

Walking around the dungeons at night always calmed Draco. Most people probably believed it was the coldness of the stones that made him happy since his heart was void of any warmth, but that was just nonsense told to the first years to keep them out of his way. Draco was truly a caring person, but because of the pure wizard's blood flowing in his veins, he was forced to put on a façade of superiority and indifference. This cost him many chances at having a compassionate side and made him somewhat bitter towards the young, happy couples that Hogwart's seemed to be a breeding ground for.

But tonight Draco was having a hard time enjoying his walk, as he wondered why he kept having that same dream, when he heard footsteps ahead of him. It must have been around 3 in the morning, but nonetheless he decided to wait and see who it was before trying to catch anyone out of bed.

* * *

Hermione Granger was having one of the worst nights ever. She had a paper to write for Defense Against the Dark Arts, a chart to fill out for Ancient Runes, and she still had to find two of her ingredients for potions the next day. Normally, all of this work would be no problem for Hermione, but with the added stress of a dimwitted boyfriend, her homework had been horribly neglected. She was now staring at a stack of things to do and little time to complete it all.

"It's ok Hermione, you'll get through this," she told herself, trying to breathe calmly. "Maybe I'll just take a walk for a bit to ease my mind and get back to all of this later." Of course the common room was empty since it was 2-something in the morning, and she was talking aloud to herself, but she didn't care. That is simply Hermione. So she tidied up her stack and headed out of the portrait that hid the entrance to the Gryffindor common room.

Hermione wasn't very keen on staying up so late, which made her think of why she was up in the first place: Ronald Weasley. They had started dating at the beginning of fifth year, when Hermione tricked that slut Lavender Brown into taking a potion that would give her severe acne that even Madam Pomfrey couldn't cure. With her only rival out of the way, getting Ron to finally notice her was no problem. It was only afterward that she realized they were absolutely terrible together; it was always constant bickering or constant snogging. Hermione was wondering why she had even gone to the trouble to date him in the first place; he was clearly just Harry's sidekick and nowhere near useful in any way she could think of.

The more Hermione tried to think about it, the less promise she could find in Ron's future. There was an occasional time when he could prove useful, like wasting some free time between classes with snogging, but other than those fleeting times, Hermione was drawing a blank. She and Ronald had never done anything further than that because she had wanted to wait until it felt right, and it was dawning on her that the time would never come for him. With no possible future in sight, she decided it would be best to break up with him in the morning.

It was at this epiphany that Hermione stopped herself from walking straight into a gargoyle. Only inches away from the statue's ugly face, Hermione began to realize that she had no idea where she was. The Hogwarts castle was a wonderful place with many nooks and hidden staircases that all held their share of secrets. A place this wonderful truly amazed Hermione and she knew she would never tire of such a place, unlike her soon to be ex-boyfriend.

Feeling much better about her situation, Hermione began to take in her surroundings and noticed she had wandered into the dungeons. Oh well, it wouldn't take her long to get back to the common room and get to work. She headed off in what she thought was the right direction, with a bounce in her step. As she came up to an intersection, a figure suddenly jumped out to block her path.

"And what brings you down here so late, Granger?" Malfoy asked of Hermione, sounding a bit too anxious.

"I could ask the same of you, Malfoy," Hermione sneered back. She noticed he looked like he hadn't slept in a long time, but didn't give it a second thought.

"I'm a prefect, just like you, remember?" Malfoy almost laughed, pointing at his badge. "I was just up patrolling around when I heard you walking by."

"Well, I'm sorry to have bothered you and I'm sure you're disappointed that you aren't giving a detention tonight. I'll just get back to my common room," answered Hermione and she started to walk in the direction she had been heading.

"Alright, but if you keep heading that way you'll just come to a dead end," Draco called after her. After she stopped, he added "Let me at least show you to the Grand Staircase."

"That's too nice of you, Malfoy," Hermione answered warily as she turned back to look at him. "Are you sure this isn't a trick? You're not going to lead me to a trap door or anything?" she said quickly, looking slightly perplexed.

"Granger, it's after 3 in the morning, why would I want to do that?" he asked impatiently. "Think logically, if I were trying to trick you, it would be at a time when I wasn't so tired and would be able to take pleasure in it."

Hermione had to accept that he made a good point. "I suppose I'll follow you then," she said, still uneasy of the sudden gesture of kindness Malfoy was showing. She was feeling much better about running into him, however and was starting to think he might not be as terrible as she had initially thought.

"This way then," Draco said as he started back the way he came. He started off so fast that she had to run a few paces to catch up. Draco tried to hide the smirk that came across his face, but it just wouldn't die down.

As they wound around the corridors, Hermione really began wondering how she got down there. "Where exactly are we?" she asked a little timidly, afraid that Draco's kindness might run out. This just made his smirk even bigger.

"I have no idea how you got here, but we're almost under the lake. It's a surprise that you could have gotten so lost on your own," he replied with a slight laugh. "What made you come down here anyway, another fight with the Weasel?"

"Ron is not a weasel!" Hermione stopped walking and yelled at him. "And that's not why I came down here, anyway," she added timidly and turned to look at the wall.

"Oh, seems like I touched a nerve," Draco laughed as he stopped and turned to face her, full arrogant Slytherin in play.

"Well I'm glad it's so funny for you, but for your information I won't be seeing Ron anymore," Hermione declared pointedly to a painting of Salazar Slytherin. She knew that looking at Draco's mocking face right now would be too hard for her to handle.

"Wait," Draco laughed and took a step forward, "did you just say you're breaking up with the weasel?"

"For the second time, he is not a weasel" was her cool reply. "But yes, I did say that I am breaking up with him."

"This is almost too good to be true!" Draco couldn't stop from bursting out. "The dream trio is falling apart. Maybe now it will be less annoying around here."

Hermione had heard enough from Draco. "Thank you for your help, but I think I'll find my own way back," she said and started to take off, but when she got next to him he grabbed her arm and held her there. "Malfoy, let go of me!" she screamed as she struggled to get her arm free.

His grip was tight on her bicep, but he was hardly aware that he was hurting her. "Hermione, you deserve much better than that weasel," he started. "You should be treated like a princess, not any ordinary girl. Don't let anyone let you think less of yourself." At this he let her go and she stared at him for a few moments, trying to figure out exactly what his intentions were.

"Th-thank you, Malfoy," was all she could respond with, and she started to rub the sore spot on her arm where he had been holding her.

"Yeah, let's just hurry so I can get back to sleep," he said, trying to brush off the intense kindness he had just shown her. He did not want to ruin his reputation in the school, but he also wanted her to think well of him. It was probably all ruined by now anyway, but he needed to at least feel like he could salvage his reputation and let her know he was a kind person.

She nodded and they began walking in silence again, Draco a little in front. After a few minutes, Hermione began recognizing her surroundings, and after one more turn and a short flight of stairs, they were at the bottom of the Grand Staircase.

"Thank you again, Malfoy," Hermione said as she took a few timid steps towards the stairs.

"It's not a big deal, don't worry about it," was his response, but he did not want to see her go so soon.

"I guess I'll see you around then," she said. "Good night," she added instinctively. She did not know if her tiding would go well, and in a semi shock she waited for him to yell at her.

"Yeah, good night," he said, and headed back down the stairs.

After this incident, he knew he would never sleep again.

Chapter 2: Stress and Drama

* * *

The Great Hall the next morning was a spectacle to behold. Anyone walking through the large double-doors, or just passing through the Entrance Hall for that matter, was immediately drawn to the scene taking place at the Gryffindor table, where Ron and Hermione were in the middle of an intense fight.

"WHAT DO YOU MEAN I'M GOOD FOR NOTHING?"

"I MEAN THAT YOU'RE NOT GOING ANYWHERE IN YOUR LIFE, RON. THE ONLY THING YOU CAN DO WELL IS TAG ALONG WITH HARRY! EVERYTHING ELSE YOU DO ENDS UP IN SHAMBLES!"

"I CANNOT BELIEVE YOU, HERMIONE. THIS IS THE KIND OF BULLOCKS I WOULD EXPECT FROM ANY SLYTHERIN, NOT FROM YOU!"

"WELL MAYBE IF YOU HAD ANY BRAINS IN THAT THICK SKULL OF YOURS, YOU WOULD KNOW ME BETTER! HONESTLY," and by this point, Hermione was getting tired of shouting, "all you do is spend time with that stupid Wizard's Chess or with Quidditch practice. You never do any of your own work anymore, and you've never done anything remotely sweet or romantic for me. If I didn't know any better, I would say you just wanted me to get tired of you; maybe you were even counting down the days until I did. Now, if you don't mind, I have to get to Ancient Runes ahead of time to try and finish up the work I couldn't do last night!"

At this, Hermione quickly grabbed her forgotten bag from the floor next to her and took off to the Entrance Hall without a backward glance. It was just her luck that she ran straight into a hard-bodied male right on the other side.

"Oh, I'm so sorry," she began, until she had time to look up and see exactly who she had run into. When she finally did recognize Draco, she scoffed and added, "I don't have time for any bickering right now, sorry to disappoint."

Draco was not completely unaware of all the shouting coming from the Great Hall as he had approached it, and he really didn't want her to get away without a little bit of teasing.

"So, you went all out with the theatrics, did you? Couldn't just let the weasel back out into the wilderness, I'm slightly impressed, Granger," Draco laughed as he saw her reaction, a mixture of anger and pure hatred with just a touch of shock.

"For your information, Malfoy, I calmly told Ronald that I thought we would be better as just friends. He's the one who exploded and started the screaming match. And why would you care anyhow, it's not like this concerns you!" she defended looking slightly accosted.

"No, it doesn't concern me directly," Draco said, looking as if he was thinking pretty hard, "but seeing as this will be the only thing anyone will talk about for at least a week, I could stay ahead on my gossip by hearing it straight from the source. If you don't feel up to it though, I could just go eat and hear it from the rest of the school. Thanks for the entertainment, Granger," he finished with a genuine smile. He knew he had sufficiently pissed her off, so he headed into the Great Hall leaving Hermione alone with her thoughts.

Hermione was in such a state of shock that she almost forgot about her plans to get to class early. After a few seconds of staring at Draco's retreating back, she suddenly remembered her unfinished homework and rushed off into the castle.

* * *

Hours had passed since the fiasco that morning, but Hermione still could not believe it was all true. A life with no Ron, well, with Ron a less important part of her life, they were still both great friends with Harry after all. She had made sure to find Harry in between classes to talk to him about the situation, but he agreed with her and was happy for her liberation. Harry had been such a great friend for her that day, and promised to help her keep the awkwardness at bay.

It was mid-afternoon and Hermione had the uncommon free period, so she headed to her favorite place to relax and catch up on some of her work, the Library. After settling in at one of the back tables, Hermione felt all of the pressure of the day crash down on her. She started sobbing quietly, trying not to disturb anyone around her and, more importantly, not let anyone see her breakdown. It felt good to be letting it all out, and she felt immense amounts of anxiety melting away the longer she sat there.

Just as she was beginning to feel calm enough to do some work, Hermione heard a familiar voice from behind her say, "Well well, the waterworks had to start eventually, didn't they?"

Hermione turned around and was surprised to see Draco leaning against a bookshelf behind her and to a side. "I'm amazed to see you here, Malfoy. Do you even know what this big room filled with books is called?" she chided back, wiping away the last of her pesky tears.

"Very funny, but I'll have you know that the library in my house is at least twice the size of this one, Mudblood." He knew his words had stung her when he looked into her eyes, but he quickly looked away so she wouldn't have to see the pain he caused.

Giving up, Hermione asked in a defeated voice, "What do you want from me, Malfoy? Was this morning's display not entertaining enough for you? I'm sure we could go reenact it for you if you want to see it firsthand."

"That's not what I want," Draco stated almost too quickly. He had a feeling this conversation was leading him somewhere he didn't want to go, but he had to get something off his chest. He sighed and said, "Look, I meant what I said last night. You deserve better than that muggle-loving, disgrace of a pureblood. I only hope you find someone who isn't so completely repulsing next time."

"What do you care about who I date?" was all she could think of to reply with. And thoughts finally catching up with her, she added, "It's not like it's a supreme delight to see you snogging Pansy Parkinson every time I turn a corner. I bet you couldn't keep the PDA to a minimum if you tried."

"Yeah, is that what you think, Granger? I guess that puts some things in perspective then, like why no one ever saw anything more than a hug between you and Ron. But I guess that's just because you're such a prude."

"A prude!" she whispered loudly, remembering where they were and looking around for eavesdroppers. "Just because I never flaunted my relationship to the entire school does not make me a prude!"

"No, you've never flaunted anything," Draco said, "except for that night of the Yule Ball." Draco laughed again remembering. "If my memory serves me right, you did look quite stunning in that dress. But I guess the world will never see anything like that again, now that your only suitor has been released of his post." He didn't know what it was about the rage seeping through her eyes, but it enticed him all the more.

Hermione was too livid to formulate any of her thoughts into a sentence, but she didn't need to. Madame Pince was heading their direction and Draco quickly said, "Guess I'll be seeing you around then," before ducking behind some shelves, leaving Hermione alone to apologize to the librarian.

* * *

Slipping into the nearest empty classroom he could find, Draco slammed the door shut and threw himself into the closest desk and lay his head down. He had known that he had feelings for Hermione for quite a while. They had actually started around the time she punched him in their third year, as he found a new kind of respect for her then. What shocked him were all these encounters with her within the last twenty-four hours.

Finding her in the library crying about the Weaselby nearly tore him apart. That idiot was all wrong for her and she knew it, yet she still felt strongly enough for him to cry over their breakup. What was wrong with her? And, for that matter, what was wrong with him for caring so much? His father would beat him senseless if he knew his son was seriously considering a relationship with a Mudblood, and for a long time, Draco had felt the same way. But these constantly repeating dreams he was having had to mean something, didn't they? Maybe the time and place would change, but the general gist of him introducing Hermione to his parents as his true love was always the same.

Or, he could just be reading way to into everything, and hoping for some kind of deeper connection. Either way, his head was really starting to hurt, and realizing it was almost time for dinner, he gathered up his belongings and left for his dormitory to clean up a bit.

On his way down, Draco had a brilliant idea that made the night ahead seem a million times better. He put some extra pep in his step and wished that dinner would go as he wanted.


	2. Chapters 3&4

AN: Ok, this is all I'm updating for tonight, but expect Chapters 5 &6 by Saturday at the latest! :D

Chapter 3: The Makeover

* * *

"I don't think this is going to work so well, Herm," Ginny began reluctantly, running her fingers through Hermione's hair. "All the hair taming spells I know could only lessen the effect. It won't be perfect before dinner."

"That's fine, Ginny, I'm willing to take any improvement right now," Hermione told her best friend with a smile.

Hermione had reached some important conclusions after leaving the library. First, although she cringed at the thought, she had to admit Draco had been right. She deserved someone better than Ron, someone who could challenge her and not get intimidated by her intelligence.

Her second realization was why she had come to Ginny. There was no way she was going to attract any suitable man looking the way she did. Her frumpy, untamed hair and general bookworm demeanor was getting her nowhere in the game of love. Thankfully for her, Ginny was a miracle in disguise. Catching up with Hermione sometime that afternoon, Ginny had ensured her best friend was doing alright and then dragged her up to the dorm rooms for the proposed makeover.

"Well, I can try this one spell, but it works best after you've used this shampoo and conditioner," Ginny was busy flipping through some Witch Fashion magazine, contemplating the best plan of attack. "Or there's this spell, that one has really been handy. Oh, but I think this one will work best for your hair type!" Ginny proudly announced, pulling Hermione out of her thoughts. "This is going to be great Hermione, just take a seat here so I can move around you easier." Ginny produced a chair from her vanity and waited pointedly for her friend to do what she told her.

Taking the hint, Hermione sat down and closed her eyes and crossed her fingers, praying that this spell wouldn't backfire. Her worst imaginings were that she would end up with an animal on her head or even a bell like that girl from that Dr. Seuss book about a Grinch and Christmas or something or other.

After an hour of keeping her eyes shut in fear, Ginny announced the spells had worked beautifully. Feeling true terror for the first time that day, Hermione refused to open her eyes. "It feels so weird, Gin!"

"Well, it's going to feel weird; you're not used to wearing it like that! But it looks amazing, Hermione. Just take a look," she said as she tried to pry Hermione's hands from her face. When Ginny finally won, Hermione was stunned.

"Oh my," was all she could say as she stepped toward the full length mirror. The reflection that she saw was definitely of her, Hermione immediately thought, but what a gorgeous version of herself! Her once untamed, lion's mane of hair lay beautifully flat alongside her face, curling only slightly in at the ends. Her skin looked perfect thanks to the foundation and concealer Ginny had used, and her eyes stood out with a great contrast to the black eyeliner and mascara.

"Wow, Gin, it's amazing. A total transformation!"

"Uh, that's why it's called a makeover, Herm. You're supposed to look completely different," she laughed at her friend's gawking expression, hardly able to contain herself. The way Hermione was touching her hair and face, as if to make sure it was all real, was a very funny sight. "Hey, you'll ruin all the makeup if you keep rubbing at it like that."

"Oh, I'm sorry," Hermione replied with a small voice, letting her hands fall to her sides as she kept staring at herself. "You really can work miracles, did you know that?" Hermione laughed, finally looking away from herself and towards her friend.

"Well, I do have a trick or two up my sleeves, but come on, all this work has made me hungry. Let's go show off the new you!" Ginny said as she grabbed Hermione's hand and dragged her out of the bedroom.

* * *

The entire trip down from the Gryffindor common room, people kept remarking on Hermione's updated appearance. A few of the girls stopped walking all together to stare in disbelief. Boys who weren't too shocked were paying her more compliments than Hermione had ever had in her life up to that point. She was feeling superb, and the morning's events were the farthest thing from her mind.

That is, until they reached the oversized doors of the Great Hall. Hermione had to stop walking and almost had a panic attack right there in the corridor.

Ginny stopped walking when she realized Hermione had, and turned to look at her. "What's wrong, you look awful?" Quickly assessing the situation, Ginny added "You know we don't have to go in there Hermione. We can get some food from the kitchen and eat in the common room if you want."

"No, it's alright Ginny. I just need a moment to calm down." Hermione reassured her friend and began thinking of calm things, like soaking in a hot bath, listening to classic jazz at her parent's home, and reading in her favorite chair in the common room. She felt better after a few seconds, and with a nod to Ginny, she walked to the doors and pulled them open.

It wasn't too crowded in the Great Hall, but the volume in the room did go down a substantial bit as the rest of the school saw Hermione's new look. Almost 2 seconds after the initial shock, whispers started buzzing around the entire room.

"I know they're talking about me," Hermione said more to herself than to Ginny, still standing in the doorway.

"Well, let them talk. That was the whole point of this makeover, wasn't it?" Ginny said as she gently pulled Hermione towards the Gryffindor table by her elbow.

Hermione reluctantly followed and noticed Harry towards the middle of the table. He raised an eyebrow as if to ask what was going on, but she just waved and pulled Ginny to sit towards the end closest to the doors.

"What-" Ginny began.

"Look, it's too early to sit next to your brother like we're still buddy-buddy, ok? Can we please just stay over here for tonight?" Hermione asked pleadingly, mustering up her best puppy dog face.

Ginny took a few seconds to consider, and then agreed. "Alright, but you owe me for the missed time with Harry," she said pointing and looking serious.

"Deal," Hermione giggled, amazed again at how great her friend was. Hunger truly starting to set in, the two began looking around at the meal for the night.

* * *

Draco was still pleased with his burst of genius that he was humming to himself as he cleaned up and still later as he ascended the stairs towards the Great Hall. Dinner tonight would be the best of his time at Hogwarts. He was positively beaming. Getting to the top step, he heard an unwelcome voice from up ahead.

"Oy, what's with the face, Malfoy?" Damn. Just what Draco needed, Blaise Zabini getting in his way like usual.

"It's nothing, I've just had a small revelation," Draco tried to get around Blaise with no luck.

"And what would that be, mate?" Blaise persisted, looking intrigued.

"For me to know, and you to never find out," Draco smirked at his childish response and kept walking. Blaise looked confused for a bit, but then shrugged it off.

_That was close, good thing Blaise is so dim witted_, Draco thought. It's not that he and Blaise didn't get along, but you could only trust Slytherins as far as you could throw them. _Just focus on tonight, _Draco thought again. _Everything will work out as planned. It always does._

By the time he got to the massive doors, Draco was smiling and humming again. He walked over to his usual spot halfway down the Slytherin table, and began scanning the other tables for her. His heart almost stopped when he saw the gorgeous woman who looked extremely like Hermione, but somehow not.

Pansy noticed Draco squinting towards Hermione and leaned over to say, "Doesn't she look just awful? And who does she think she is, traipsing around like she owns the place. I can't believe she has the nerve to look so condescending, the mudblood. She needs to be put back in her place. And look at all the boys drooling over her! It's a disgrace. I never thought I would see the day that every boy in this school would go crazy for Hermione Granger!"

"Are you jealous, Pansy?" Draco asked in his honey voice, turning his attention toward her before she noticed he was going crazy for Hermione as well.

"Of course not! How could you say something like that, Drakie! I'm appalled," she pouted.

"Oh, calm down dear; let the girl have her fun. Her time will come," Draco reassured her, but shuddered at her use of that terrible nickname. Taking her hand into his own, he began rubbing his thumb against the back of her knuckles and looked towards the food, trying to look indifferent about the situation.

In reality, seeing Hermione dolled up was only making Draco want to put his plan in motion much sooner than he had thought, but he couldn't start it with Pansy here. Oh well, he could eat first and hope that Hermione wouldn't decide to cut dinner short tonight.

* * *

On the other side of the Great Hall, Hermione was becoming extremely uncomfortable. All of the men of Gryffindor, and a few from other houses, had decided that they all wanted to sit as close to her as they could, and it was becoming extremely crowded. Ginny could feel Hermione's uneasiness, and tried to bail her friend out.

"Sorry guys, but the transformation isn't done yet. We need to get back to the common room to finish up, right Hermione?" Ginny looked at her, trying to give her cues with her eyes.

Luckily, the shock had slightly worn off and Hermione was able to pick up on her friend's hints. "Yeah, that's right we need to go finish. But we'll be up in the common room later, if you still want to chat," she addressed the twenty eager pairs of eyes following her every movement.

Many of the guys instantly reached out to her saying "No, don't go!" or "Don't leave yet." Hermione blushed profusely at all the attention and clammed up again, but Ginny was there to rescue her again saying, "It's alright boys, those of you in Gryffindor can be the first in the whole school to see the finished product" with a wink and guided her friend out of the hall.

Once they were in the clear, Hermione stopped and admired her friend. "Geez, I didn't realize that it would be like that. Once again, I am standing in the presence of a miracle worker," Hermione said in awe, gazing at her friend.

"Don't thank me; I just want to make sure you get to your little rendezvous on time. I can't believe you're already getting secret love notes!" Ginny squealed.

"Oh yeah," Hermione said with a little of the joy gone from her voice. It was about halfway through their meal that a note had suddenly slid into Hermione's hand, all on its own and appearing out of nowhere. She had quickly glanced at it before showing it to Ginny, who began brimming with delight almost instantly. She gave her a look to mean "You have to go" and Hermione started giggling at the thought of a secret romance.

She read the note again. _Hermione, I've been watching you for a while now, and I would like to meet with you. Be at the Observatory Tower at 9 pm tonight and I will tell you who I am, but skip out and you will never know. By the way, you look absolutely stunning._

It was such a simple note, and Hermione had no idea who could have written it, but she was excited to find out. "Well come on then," Ginny hurried Hermione. "We really do need to get you finished up!" The two girls giggled as they ran up the Grand Staircase towards Ginny's room.

Chapter 4: Adventures of the Night

* * *

"Geez, Herm, it was so hard to pry all those boys off of you! You can tell they've all just been waiting to get at you" Ginny said slyly, closing her bedroom door for privacy.

"I'm really sorry Gin, but it's all thanks to your genius," Hermione reminded her with a huge grin. The girls had barely been able to make it up to the dormitories without running into admirers of Hermione's.

Ginny dropped heavily onto her bed, slightly out of breath. "You do have a point there," Ginny grinned up at Hermione. "But we really do have some more work to do, that spell I put on your hair is starting to fade, or we were just running too much." At this both of the girls started laughing at the whole situation. "Seriously, I always knew you had such great potential, but who would have ever thought that the entire school would go bonkers like this?"

"I know, it's insane!" Hermione said, finally taking a seat in the same chair as before. "I have honestly never had this much attention from any man, including Viktor Krum, and all he did was follow me around and stare at me!"

"Yes well, that's all changing now, Herm," Ginny said, getting up from her bed. " Now just sit still and close your eyes, I want to fix this eye shadow I put on earlier. I think that a nice plum color would look better in the natural light outside.."

"Oh, Gin, you're teasing me again!" Hermione squealed. "I could never have imagined any of this before today. I want you to know how happy I am to have you as a friend, Gin."

"Yes, ok, I get it, you're super grateful. Now just stop moving so I can get this right!" Ginny said, exasperated. "Let me remind you, we only have two hours until your little rendezvous."

"As if I could forget," Hermione said breathily and finally stopped moving around.

* * *

Draco felt that he should have won some kind of award for his patience that evening. Watching those disgustingly naïve fools crowd around Hermione was torture, but he knew who was only jealous that he couldn't be next to her. He had felt a great triumph, however, when her and the she-weasel started squealing over the note he sent her. So they took that part well, but how in the hell would she react when she saw him on that tower?

It was too late to think of that now, he had to show up, or miss his chance on her for good. He didn't necessarily need the head start on the rest of the school, but with the way things were going, it would be so much simpler to get to her first.

It would not be easy getting away from Pansy, though. He tried to end his dinner early, but she pounced on him and drew him back to the table.

"Drakie, you can't leave so soon. Dessert hasn't even come yet!"

"I'm sorry, dear, but I need to get out of this room," Draco tried, physically cringing at the use of the nickname this time. "All of these hormones are making me ill." He pulled her hand off of his forearm and tore out of the Great Hall before she could assault him again.

Being out of the chattering and buzzing of gossip was such a relief. Draco took a second to appreciate it before he continued down to the Slytherin common room and then on to his own room.

He wanted to look good for tonight, not exactly dress robes good, but still better than his everyday appearance. He went to his wardrobe and opened it, looking for just the right outfit when inspiration struck. He pulled out a dark grey turtle neck that fit his body very nicely, some dark skinny jeans, his dress shoes, clean knickers, and some black socks. _This should do the trick_, he thought to himself. _Play up the muggle clothes for her. She should like that._ With that, he grabbed the clothes and his toiletry kit and headed off to the showers with a smirk.

* * *

Harry knew that there was something wrong with Ron all through dinner. Even though he wouldn't admit to it, Harry knew that Hermione's makeover was affecting Ron in a very bad way.

"Cheer up mate, she's not doing this to rub it in your face," Harry tried to say enthusiastically while patting his best mate on the back in an attempt to console him.

"It's easy for you to say, you didn't get dumped this morning," Ron said drearily. Harry could have sworn he heard him sniffling, as if trying not to cry. "But why should I care? My life is going nowhere, remember? She'd never have me back and especially not now that the entire school trying to get their hands on her!"

"Ron, you're being overly hard on yourself," Harry started. "Hermione has always been there for us and she won't ditch us now that you two aren't together anymore-"

"Then why can't she sit over here with us?" Ron cut him off. "Why did she have to hesitate and sit at the end of the table? What can you say to that?"

"C'mon Ron," Harry said, "It's got to be hard on her too. I'm sure after a few days we'll all be joking around like before." Harry wasn't so sure this was true, but he had to do something to get Ron out of this pathetic state.

"I suppose you're right," Ron grumbled into his plate. "Let's just finish eating and get out of here. I'm sure Umbridge will have something to say soon enough, and I don't want to hear it."

"Too true," Harry had to agree with a smile. _At least he's showing a bit of progress_, Harry thought.

* * *

"Herm, don't panic, but almost everyone is down there waiting for you to come out," Ginny reported, closing her door quickly. "It's really strange that most of the girls are looking antsy too. Wonder why they don't just come up here and see you now…" Ginny began wondering.

"Well, whatever the reason, what am I going to tell them all to get out on time?" Hermione asked. "I honestly don't see this working out too great, Gin. You saw them at dinner."

"We are going to tell them that you kept your promise and they were indeed the first to see your finished look, but you cannot ignore your homework and that you need to get to the library. No one will question that, and they definitely know you well enough not to follow you to the library. It's fool proof!"

"I don't think so, Gin. What about anybody else that I run into? I can't say I'm going to the library once I'm by the Observatory Tower."

"Please, Hermione," Ginny sighed, "You're going to take your prefect's badge and tell anybody else that you're just patrolling corridors. It's simple."

"This feels so strange, having to lie to so many people. I don't know if I can do that."

"Well," Ginny said, suddenly very stern and quite disappointed, "I guess we'll just never know who this mystery man is, or if he could have been the best thing to happen to your life, but fine, if you feel this is too much then let's just stay in all night."

"You really do think of everything," Hermione said glumly. It was hard to face the fact that if she didn't get to that tower on time, she may never find out the identity of this secret admirer. "I guess this makeover didn't just work on my appearances."

"Don't feel too bad, dear. It's alright, but we need to get you out of here if the boys downstairs are going to have enough time to gawk at you before you dash out."

"Ok, let me just take one last look at myself," Hermione pleaded feeling lighthearted again.

Ginny sighed, "You know where the mirror is."

Hermione turned to the mirror and once again could not believe the talents of the woman standing beside her. Her makeup rivaled any professional's best, and her hair had been swept up into a French twist, to 'keep it out of the way' Ginny had told her. She was wearing spaghetti strapped, royal purple dress that came to just above her knees that offset her golden skin perfectly, but wouldn't keep her too cold in the October chills that had come along.

"OK, enough gawking at yourself, it's time for your grand entrance!" Ginny said, yanking on Hermione's forearm to pull her through the door.

* * *

Harry could not believe his eyes. He and Ron had just been stepping through the portrait hole into the common room when Hermione was walking down the stairs. She looked heaven sent. He continued watching her for a few seconds, and then remembered Ron next to him and pushed him back out into the corridor.

"Look mate, I'm sorry you had to see that," Harry began to apologize.

"Sh-she was.. beautiful," Ron breathed.

"Ron, why don't we just go to the Room of Requirements and play some Wizard's Chess? No one will look for us there, we can stay there however long you like," Harry tried to sound genuine, but he really wanted to get back in that room.

"No, Harry, it's fine," Ron said firmly, waving his friend down. "I'm going to have to look at her like this from now on. Tonight's as good a night as any to start."

"But Ron-"

"No, really, Harry. It'll be easier for me this way," Ron stated. "Let's just go back in."

"Alright, if you say so," Harry had to agree. _What else can I do? He'd be stuck thinking about her either way, maybe this is for the best._

With that, the two of them climbed back through the portrait hole and into the crowded common room.

* * *

Hermione simply could not keep up with everyone trying to get her attention. She tried laughing a lot, but then noticed that every time she did, the room would erupt with laughter as well. It was as if they only laughed because they thought she had found one of them funny. After only 5 minutes of all the attention, Hermione was extremely bored of it.

"Thank you, no really, thank you," she would try to tell them. "All of you are so nice, really. But I have some work that I need to finish up, and there's something I need to look up before I can really get to it." This was met with a room full of moans that almost sounded like those cheesy game show audiences. "I'm sorry guys," she tried again, "but I really can't neglect my schoolwork. I have to head down to the library for a bit, but I assume you will all be here when I get back?" she added confidently.

"Yes, of course!" "I'd wait all night!" "Don't take too long now, or you'll hurt our feelings!" were just some of the things she heard coming from the crowd.

"OK, laters everyone!" she said with a wave and almost ran through the portrait hole. She checked her time keeper and almost cursed. _8:45, much later than I wanted to leave_, she thought. _Oh well, I'm going to have to run as best as I can in these heels,_ and she took off jogging towards the Observatory Tower.

* * *

It was 8:50 according to his time keeper when he heard a strange running sound. Poking his head out of the classroom he was in, he saw Hermione running awkwardly down the corridor.

"Oh, hey Hermione," Harry said, walking into the hall. Hermione had to try very hard from running straight into him.

"Oh, Harry, what are you doing over here?" Hermione said, looking slightly flustered and maybe a tad irritated.

"Just waiting for you to come by is all," he said with a grin.

"Me? Why were you waiting for me?" Hermione said confused, taking a half-step back.

"Well you know Herms, we have been very close since coming to school here," he said, taking a step towards her. "Now that I know you don't have feelings for Ron, I feel like I can finally tell you how I feel." He kept walking towards her, trying to close the gap she was trying to maintain.

"Harry, don't be silly. I think of you as a brother," Hermione said, beginning to be frightened. "And how could you try to come after me so quickly? I just broke up with your best friend this morning!"

"Just a brother, huh?" Harry was a little hurt by the fact that she had never considered him as more. "Well you know, Herm, you and I aren't like everyone else here," Harry said, smiling. "These people haven't been through what we have been through. They don't know what it's like trying to rid the world of the worst dark wizard of our time. We have to stick together, don't you see?"

"Harry, what I see is that you need some help. You know, Ginny really has feelings for you like that, maybe you should try her? I just know that I'm not the girl for you and I'm sorry, but I'm going to be late," she said as she quickly ran around him.

That was the single most awkward experience Hermione had ever been through to date, and she feared what would happen the next time she saw Harry. She somewhat put it out of her mind, however, as she remembered the mystery awaiting her.


	3. Chapters 5&6

AN: Hey everyone!! Sorry it took a bit longer to get up, but I revised Chapter 6 about seven or eight times. I just wasn't happy with the way it was going. So, I finally present Chapters 5 & 6! It also seems like this story is getting a lot longer than I had originally planned, so if any of you have any suggestions for where it should go, I would love to hear them! Anyway, on with the story!

Chapter 5: Late Like the White Rabbit

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

When Hermione made it around the next corner, she slowed down a bit to think about what had just happened. How could Harry have gotten their relationship that confused? For Merlin's sake, her best friend was crazy for him. That alone was reason enough not to have any intimate involvements with him, let alone all of their views that they disagreed on.

But on the other hand, what if he was the one who sent her that note? He did say that he had been waiting for her, and how else could he have known that she would go that way? But if that were the case, why would he have said to meet at the Observatory Tower instead of the unused classroom at the end of the corridor?

Or could he have known she was going there because he had been using the Marauder's Map? But that still didn't seem likely as he would have had to cut her off at some point….

Nothing was making sense, but Hermione knew that she still had to get to the tower before 9 to confirm if Harry was her secret admirer or not. With that goal in mind and a quick glance at the time, she headed off at a pace almost uncomfortable for the pesky heels she was wearing.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

8:58. Draco was growing impatient. What if she didn't show? Had he mistaken her response to his note for something else? She was always at least 10 minutes early to every class, quidditch match, and meal; would she really choose now to show up on time or, even worse, not show up at all? He felt his chest tightening as he began panicking at his own foolishness. _Maybe I can wait an extra ten minutes,_ he tried reasoning with himself. _It's possible that she got caught up with those stupid boys in her common room. And besides, she is definitely worth the wait._

Just as Draco finished reasoning with himself, he heard someone climbing the stairs behind him. He turned around just in time to see Hermione come up the last steps breathing heavily. She had obviously tried to hurry to make it on time, and any anger Draco had felt at her tardiness was instantly gone. He smiled slightly, but dropped it just as quickly.

"Oh, Malfoy, I was expecting to meet someone here," Hermione said, looking very annoyed. "You didn't scare anyone off for one of your evening rendezvous, did you?"

"No, I didn't," he said taken aback. He didn't know how else to respond or what he had expected, but this hostility was definitely not it.

"Well then, I guess I'll be going," Hermione said sounding defeated, turning to leave and clearly looking disappointed.

"No, wait," Draco said reaching for her arm again. She turned around and saw the gesture, so he added shyly, "I've been waiting here for you." He dropped his arm and his gaze towards the ground, suddenly very ashamed of his outburst of emotion.

"What do you mean, waiting for me?" Hermione began, walking towards Draco while looking at him as if he were an alien. He lifted his eyes again to meet hers, and almost instantaneously he was fighting the strongest of urges to kiss her more passionately than he knew she had ever been kissed.

"Hermione, I sent you that note during dinner," he started, and she stopped where she was. "I realize it seems crazy, and really, it is, but it's true, all of it," he pleaded, staring into her eyes as if willing her to believe him.

"If you think this is a joke, it's not a good one, Malfoy," Hermione said furiously, starting to back away and looking extremely upset again. "As if I haven't provided enough entertainment for you already, you set up this ridiculous meeting so you can laugh at me in my face. Well I'm not going for it," she finished strongly. She quickly wiped at her eyes before any tears could fall. He felt gut wrenching horror realizing he was causing her this pain.

"But it's not a joke," Draco tried impatiently. "You wouldn't believe the stuff I've been thinking lately. Do you really think I want to be as mean to you as I have been?"

"It's not like anyone was pressuring you to say the things you did," she said offensively while crossing her arms. Even though he was shocked at her response, he had to admit there was something extremely attractive about her when she got so defensive.

"How else could I keep from saying all the things that I wish I could say?" Draco tried again, stepping closer to her. "Being cruel to you was my only defense from breaking down in front of the entire school." He was drawing nearer, but she didn't move away so he added softly, "I meant what I said last night. I know I came off too aggressive, but I was just so mad at seeing you hurt over someone completely unworthy of your time. I know I wouldn't deserve it, but I hope you can forgive me for everything that I've done over the years." By this point he was standing directly in front of her, but the ball was on her side of the court now. In one second, she could crush him forever.

"Say I'd be willing to forgive you," Hermione began slowly, but thinking quickly, "which won't be easy, mind you, but pretend that I could eventually; what then? We're sworn enemies, you and I. It's not like we'd be able to go frolicking about. Our allegiances lie in completely different places; we would be torn apart eventually," she had begun pacing at this point, another thing he was finding completely adorable about her. "And your parents, I'm sure they would be so thrilled to hear you've started dating some muggle born girl who's one of Harry Potter's closest friends. I don't think you'd part with all that inheritance money for just me. Even I would think you'd gone mad. And-"

"Hermione, do you really think that low of me?" Draco said, a look of disgust on his face. At this, she stopped pacing and stared into his light grey eyes. "Do you honestly believe that I think my father is doing the right thing, following that half-dead corpse around, searching for power? It disgusts me, but I can't say or do anything to prove otherwise or my family will be destroyed."

"What do you mean?" Hermione asked slowly, still staring at his gorgeous eyes.

"If You-Know-Who found out that one of his most loyal supporters had a son who was unreceptive to his teachings, he'd kill his entire family within the same heartbeat," Draco said flatly. "I find that man absolutely repulsive, and the things my father has done in his name," he made a seriously offended noise here, "let's just say it would make us both sick. Hermione, that's not the life I want to lead," he said, and turned to walk toward the balcony. He was slightly happy to sense Hermione following him and stop right next to him. "I want a life that's not laid out for me, something that I can choose for myself. If my parents don't support that, then I guess I'll just have to find a way to survive without them."

"I never knew you disliked your father like that," Hermione said in a small voice, looking out at the stars. "We always saw it as you trying to be just like him. I don't think anyone could have guessed otherwise."

"And that's how it has to be, for now at least," Draco said sadly, looking down at Hermione. There was something about her makeup that forced to him look into her eyes, like it was purposefully drawing his attention there. She met his gaze and he could see that she felt sad for him. "Hermione, I don't think you realize that you have so much of the freedom that I wish I could have. You don't have to fight bad impressions or worry about keeping up appearances. That's one of the reasons I like you so much; you're able to be so free with your emotions."

He could tell she was having some kind of internal battle, but decided not to pry. He really didn't want to push her too far after revealing some of his deepest secrets, so he waited for her to speak.

"I'm sorry," she said, turning away from him. "But I still feel that I can't completely trust you. I'm glad that you've opened up and told me this much, but I can't just let go of everything else yet. I need more time to know this isn't some joke."

"I understand," he said, hope filling his heart, but sad at the same time that she didn't completely trust him. He had just confessed a lot to her, things that no one else knew about. "If there's anything you want me to do-"

"It's not that," she said quietly, turning to face him again. "I just need to think about some things. How about we meet here again tomorrow, same time, and we can talk some more." She smiled, and it was the sweetest expression he had ever seen.

"Alright, it's a date," he agreed with a huge grin on his face. She giggled, a good sign, he thought. "I hope you can come to a good conclusion with all those goofy boys chasing you around." He was sure that the remainder of the school would still be following her every move the next day, and didn't know how that would play into her 'thinking.'

"I'm sure they won't break my focus," she said, smiling again. "Well then, until tomorrow." She turned and headed towards the stairs, but when she got to the top step, she stopped to add, "Good night, Draco," before hurrying down them.

Draco felt like he could fly at that moment. Had Hermione really just said good night to him using his first name? He had never heard it sound so perfect before, but then, that's what her voice did to him. Feeling so elated, it seemed mere seconds before he was falling into his bed in the Slytherin dormitory, finally sure to have a good night's rest.

Chapter 6: A New Day

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

The walk back to the dorms had never felt longer. Hermione could not recall a time when she had felt a more chaotic mix of emotions going through her head. The man who wrote the sweet and endearing note to her turned out to be the one man she thought she hated most, excluding Lord Voldemort of course. However, he made perfect sense in every point he had made that night, so surely it wasn't just a story. She couldn't think of any reason for him to lie to her about his feelings in such an elaborate way.

Finally making her way to her room, Hermione felt exhaustion take over her like never before. She had barely made it into her bed and under the covers before falling into a deep sleep.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

The next morning at breakfast, Harry was happy to see Hermione entering the Great Hall and walking in his direction, even if she was accompanied by Ginny. He hadn't taken her response last night very well, but he supposed stalking her with the Maurader's Map had earned him that.

"Morning, Hermione!" he said as cheerily as he could, usual goofy smile in place. "Did you sleep well?" He could tell she and Ginny had been up early fixing all the glam charms because she looked as stunning as the night before.

"Yeah," she answered, stifling a yawn, "but Gin woke me up 2 hours ago to show me how to do all this myself," she said, motioning to her hair and face.

"And I still say that you'll thank me later for it," Ginny grinned. "Morning, Harry," she turned lustful eyes on him while taking a seat next to Hermione. He suppressed a shudder, but returned her greeting with a slight nod. He couldn't be sure if Hermione had told her friend about their run-in last night, but Ginny didn't seem any the wiser.

"Well, it looks great, Herm," Harry said, directing his attention back to her. "The outside is finally reflecting the inside, I think." She blushed at his complement and he had to grin. That was a sight he would love to grow used to.

"Thanks, Harry," she told her toast. Apparently she hadn't thought about him surprising her after all, as she still seemed awkward about it.

"I agree though," Ginny put in, saving the awkward situation. They both looked at the red head as if prompting her to explain, so she continued, "Everyone knows how smart you are, but only we knew about your amazing personality. Looking the way you do now, more people will want to get to know the you beyond the books." She finished with a big smile, as if waiting for applause. Harry felt that Ginny could be so vain sometimes, but had to agree, whether he wanted more people trying to get to know Hermione or not.

"Well, thank you both," Hermione finally said with a smile. "As long as these people understand that I'm still trying to stay at the top of the class, I guess it's alright. Oh.." Harry noticed Ron walking in at the same time Hermione did. After standing around like a fish out of water for a few seconds, Ron continued over to their group.

"Morning, everyone," he tried to say cheerily with a fake smile plastered to his face. It was painfully obvious he hadn't slept at all and probably woke up crying, since his eyes were so bloodshot. "How's the food?" he added, looking hungrily around. Harry had to laugh at his friend's priorities.

"The eggs are great, and grab a sausage or two," Harry commented, still laughing.

"Thanks think I will," Ron said, getting what his friend recommended and eating hastily.

Hermione stood up quickly. "I have to get to the owlery and order some shampoo Ginny recommended," she stated. "I want to get it as soon as I can, so I'm going before class. Gin, will come with to make sure I get the right one?" she turned to her friend and pleaded with her eyes.

"Yeah, alright," Ginny sighed, also standing. "I have Professor Binns first thing today anyway, so he won't notice if I'm late."

"See you in class, then," Hermione offered to the boys, who were just sitting there looking dumbstruck, and quickly took off.

"Wonder what her hurry was," Ron said, turning back on his eggs. Harry could have slapped his friend for being so daft. Instead he sighed and continued to sip his morning tea.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~

By midday, Draco decided his anxiety was unbearable. He had barely tolerated McGonagall's droning voice for early morning Transfiguration. _I can't believe it's only Tuesday_, he thought to himself as he walked to Umbridge's pathetic excuse for a Defense Against the Dark Arts class. _At least there's a visit to Hogsmeade this weekend,_ he thought and felt a little bit better.

"Drakie, will you stop mopping around?" Only the sound of Pansy's irritating voice and her terrible nickname for him could have snapped Draco out of his reverie. "You've been in a daze all day, it's not like you," she pouted, moving to walk with him.

"I'm just tired, Pans," he smiled, trying to get rid of her. It had been a year since Draco first took her to bed, but in that year she became unbelievably possessive of him. Hounding him around the castle, she hardly ever let him be alone with another woman, much less take anyone else to bed. It was amusing at first, but he had decided that this year at Hogwarts would be different.

"What from?" was her immediate response. She was eyeing him carefully, as if to see if he had gone to bed with someone other than herself.

"Just school work, and I guess all the extra Prefect duties we have now aren't helping," he sighed. "Anyway, let's hurry up and get to this joke of a class. I don't want that toad looking at me like a juicy fly again," he said, taking off at a quicker pace.

Pansy was stunned by Draco's gruff attitude, but quickly regained her composure and jogged to catch up with him.

~*~*~*~*~*~

Herbology was becoming Hermione's least favorite class this year. Professor Sprout was a nice woman and all, but Hermione's problem lay in the amount of men trying to work at her table with her. Since she was still avoiding Ron and Harry was sitting with him, she was left to sit at an empty table. Well, it was empty for about three seconds before Neville Longbottom, Justin Finch-Fletchy, and Ernie Macmillan joined her, with a lot of disappointed sounds coming from all the slow-pokes.

Hermione was still amazed at the ruckus she was creating. Lunch had been much the same as dinner the night before, with boys of all years and houses trying to grab her attention. Her amusement quickly faded, however. After being forced to sit for an hour and attempt to ignore the attention she was receiving and laughing half-heartedly when she couldn't feign ignorance any longer, Hermione had had enough. And if she hadn't been so busy trying to run back to her dorm for some quiet time, she would have hugged Professor Sprout for ending class thirty minutes early.

Once she had made it to the sanctuary of her bed, Hermione threw her book bag to the floor, kicked off her shoes, and jumped onto the bed. The day's events were just too much for her. She didn't know if she could handle ordeals like this every day. Just as she was seriously considering reverting back to her old looks, there was a light knock on the door. Unsure of whom it was, she reluctantly got up and went to answer it.

"Oh, thank Merlin it's you, Gin," she breathed a sigh of relief and opened the door wider for her friend to come in. "I've just been thinking this is all some terrible mistake. Please tell me why I wanted this makeover again?"

"I had a feeling you were getting to this point," Ginny said knowingly. They both went to sit in the middle of Hermione's bed, Indian style and facing each other. "You're a beautiful person, Hermione, inside and out. It was time for you to show the world your beauty. And the fact that you wanted to make a drastic change so as to get over my brother faster, but I can't blame you for that," Ginny said nonchalantly and shrugged. "Every woman goes through this glamorous stage of finding out what works for her. Yours is just more widely observed because you're one of Harry Potter's best mates."

Hermione took a second to think about that response. "I think you're right, Gin. If I wasn't such great friends with Harry, I would have been able to make this change without all the fuss. Thanks, that makes this a bit easier now," she said smiling.

"Hey, I just came here because you still haven't told me a thing about your mystery admirer last night," Ginny said pointing an accusing finger at Hermione. Getting anxious, she added, "Please tell me it's Cormac McLaggen! He's totally been eyeing you since the beginning of term. This kind of thing seems right up his alley."

Sighing and shaking her head, Hermione said, "You're not going to believe me when I tell you, but you have to agree to listen to the entire story." Getting Ginny's approval of her terms with a nod, Hermione told her best friend the events of her meeting with Draco the previous night.

~*~*~*~*~

Ginny was stunned to silence. Her mind was having the hardest time comprehending that Draco Malfoy, the Pureblood son-of-a-bitch that hated muggle borns with a passion, has been watching Hermione with interest for some time now. Everything in her being was telling her that this was some trap.

"Don't trust him," was the first thing she could think to say.

"I knew you wouldn't be happy about this, there's just too much animosity between your families," Hermione sighed and looked at her comforter.

"Hell yes there is!" Ginny screamed at her friend. "His father tried to have You-Know-Who resurrected through me with that terrible diary three years ago! All they ever do is tell us how our blood isn't good enough and we are technically on the same level as them! How could Draco turn around and profess his love to you? Yes, you're an amazing witch and I love you, but to shallow people like him, it's all about lineage, Hermione."

"I get it," Hermione snapped back. Ginny was surprised by her normally quiet friend's outburst. "You hate him and his family, fine. Don't get me involved in some squabble your parents have been going on about for years. It's none of my business," Hermione stated. There was an intense staring contest then and the tension became palpable.

Sensing that there would be no victor, Ginny stood to leave. "If that's how you really feel, then I guess I'll just get out of your way." She felt irate, but she decided she wasn't going to show it here. "Good luck fending off the boys at dinner, I'm sure they will be as persistent as ever," she said without a backward glance and slamming the door behind her. If her best friend would really choose the side of that white haired ferret without even knowing him, maybe she had misjudged their friendship all these years.


	4. Chapters 7&8

Chapter 7: First Kiss

* * *

Hermione sat in shocked silence for about ten minutes after Ginny stormed out of her room. She hadn't thought that her words would affect her friend in such a way, or that Mr. and Mrs. Weasley could have raised their children with such bitterness for the Malfoys. With her shock finally wearing down, resolve came coursing through her brain. She needed to apologize to Gin for any offense she had made. That goal in mind, Hermione began searching the dorms for her and when she couldn't be found, she headed down to the Great Hall.

It took another ten minutes for Hermione to navigate her way down the stairs (they kept switching as soon as she got on a new set) but she quickly spotted the red flame of hair she was looking for when she entered the Great Hall. Making a beeline for Ginny, Hermione successfully avoided all male attention for the first time that day. It probably had something to do with how early it was, but either way she made it to her target with no interference.

"I need to tell you I'm sorry for what I said," Hermione began before Ginny had time to realize it was Hermione who had stormed up to her and take off. "I didn't think and I realize that it is personal for you. I know you have my best interests at heart and I'm sorry I brushed off your advice." Hermione was trying to apologize quietly and without saying exactly what happened so that Dean Thomas, who was sitting beside Ginny, and everyone in the Great Hall for that matter, wouldn't hear exactly what their fight was about.

Ginny took a second to compose herself and followed Hermione's lead. "I think we were both a little hot headed, Hermione. It's fine, really I don't mind," she smiled reassuringly. "But don't forget that I did warn you, and if anything happens I can't say I didn't expect it."

"Great!" Hermione beamed. That was a bit easier than she had imagined. _Probably has something to do with sneaking up on her, or that she wouldn't want to cause a scene. _Whatever the reason, Hermione was glad things were alright and took a seat across from Ginny. "So what's good?" she asked, looking at the food.

* * *

He could not believe his terrible luck that day. How Draco had ended up in Detention with Professor McGonagall, he could no longer remember. All he knew was that he was sure to miss his all important meeting with Granger that evening and she would probably never forgive him.

Since the evening's detention only consisted of writing lines for four hours, Draco had plenty of leeway to let his imagination run wild. He thought of the rigorous upcoming Quidditch practices, of the amount of homework that was being neglected this evening, but mostly his thoughts were of Hermione in less than conventional situations.

Some of the situations included him cornering her in abandoned classrooms; others with them in the Potions storage closet. His favorite little imagining was when his dream self would pull her unexpectedly into a broom closet, instantly covering her mouth with his own to stop her from screaming.

With all of these thoughts running around, he hardly noticed when McGonagall firmly reminded him he was there to write lines, not daydream. Turning back to his piece of parchment, Draco grinned at the idea of acting out a few of his fantasies.

* * *

"Oomf," was as close to the unattractive sound that Hermione had made when she crashed into the very male body of the person coming up to the Observatory Tower as she was trying to leave.

Her startled cry and the clear visual imprinting her eyes had relayed to her brain – of a tall, broad-shouldered and very arrogant-looking handsome male, with the most extraordinary grey eyes and platinum blonde hair – was all there had been time to see before her senses reminded her that she was now pressed very tightly against this man's body.

Following this train of thought, and with her face buried against his shoulder, she could feel the heat of his body and smell his slightly musky male scent mixed with cool but sharp cologne. She also noticed the heavy thud of his heart beating out a call to her own. Lean, strong fingers gripped her arms, bare flesh to bare flesh sending a sudden surge of warmth through her body.

Hermione could not believe that this unexpected contact with Draco Malfoy would have such an impact on her, but from the look he was giving her, he was experiencing something quite similar. As she began to pull away from him in embarrassment, Draco pulled her closer and brought his lips crashing over hers. The electricity that coursed through her veins as their tongues danced was overwhelming to say the least. Hermione's head was swimming from the lack of oxygen, but there was no way she would be the one to break a kiss this amazing.

Finally pulling away to breath, Draco smirked and said, "I take back that comment about you being a prude. You _definitely_ know what you're doing," he said, looking her up and down in appreciation. She was only wearing a pair of muggle jeans and a plain t-shirt, but he thought she looked better this way than overdressed as she was the previous night.

She knew what he was trying to do, but she was also acutely aware that her shocked expression was only edging him on. Regaining her composure, closing her mouth, and taking a few steps back, Hermione geared up for her attack. "Look who finally decided to show up," she said, face full of scorn and completely ignoring his comment. "When I said same time, I meant the time at which we met, not the time that we departed. You're a full thirty minutes late! You should be glad that I was still waiting."

"Then why are you still here?" was his only answer. His face was full of confidence, and she knew that the only answer she could give him was the exact answer he wanted to hear. His cocky smirk slid up his face as she hesitated to answer.

"I wanted to tell you my answer," she tried. He didn't look too convinced, so she added, "Since it would have been more difficult to arrange another meeting, I just had to hope you would show up eventually."

"Ahh, so it was a matter of convenience that kept you here, nothing else?" Draco was taunting her and she knew it, but his beautiful grey eyes were so hard to look away from. She tried to pry her eyes away and look down, but was forced to stop by the sight of his lips. Those perfectly shaped completely kissable lips of his. Remembering the passionate kiss they shared only moments ago, Hermione felt her cheeks blush a bright red.

"Y-yes," was about all that she could stammer out. Try as she might, her eyes were not leaving his lips, and knowing this, her blush became more pronounced as some slightly scandalous thoughts raced through her mind.

Draco laughed very lightly, pulling her out of her predicament. She caught his eyes again as he took a step closer to her and said, "It seems I've got you tongue-tied. Well, it is getting late, so how about we wrap this meeting up, Granger?" He sighed and looked down, not noticing the slight jolt of excitement that passed over her face when he said her name. "You were going to think about your feelings towards me and consider that I wasn't lying when I said I like you and that this is not some elaborate trap to hurt or humiliate you." He looked into her eyes again and raised one eyebrow as he asked, "Well, what's your conclusion?"

Startled by his abrupt statement and remembering everything she had considered since leaving this same spot last night, Hermione hesitated again and answered truthfully. "I think I can trust you." The smile on his face was unquestionable, so she quickly clarified. "I think we should try being friends before anything else though, to get to know each other."

"Sounds reasonable enough," he answered through his grin. He took another slow step towards her and closed the gap between their bodies, putting his left arm around her waist and rubbing her left cheek with the back of his right hand. "I'll do anything you ask of me," he added in a low voice.

Stunned again by the intoxicating scent coming from his body and the intimacy he was showing her, Hermione took a second to drink him in. Finally, she stammered "There's a Hogsmeade visit this weekend. We should meet up there and hang out." She tried with all her might to keep looking into his eyes and keep her gaze away from the lips she so desperately was seeking.

Draco must have noticed her struggling because he pulled away from her with a small smile. "Hogsmeade it is, he said lightly. "I trust you'll send me a note with a time and place?" So he was going to make her do all the planning this time. Nothing she couldn't handle, she had plenty of practice thinking for her two best mates as well.

"By tomorrow at dinner at the latest," she said, creating a time table in her head. "Try to show up this time," she added with a smile, hinting at his absence that evening. Before he could add any comment, she was at the top of the stairs. Hermione turned and said a quick, "Good night, Draco," before heading off to her dorm. The look on his face was priceless and it was all that she could do to keep from laughing in the echoing staircase.

Chapter 8: A Date and a Scandal

* * *

The next few days passed by rather quickly for Hermione. After finally convincing Harry to teach real Defense Against the Dark Arts classes for students who were interested the week before, she had to finish wheedling out potential candidates and inform them of the locale and time to meet to discuss the lessons.

With that little bit of planning and her professors already assigning too much homework in preparation for their O.W.L.s, Hermione had little time to spare for thoughts about Draco. She had sent him a note during lunch the day after their second rendezvous, discreetly charming the little piece of paper to slip into his hand when she noticed him finally slink in for the meal. All it said was for him to meet her by the Shrieking Shack at 4 o'clock Saturday, hoping that would give her enough time between meetings. After getting a quick nod from him showing his approval, she went back to chatting with Ginny about her friend's new boyfriend, Michael Corner.

When she finally awoke on Saturday morning, Hermione could not have been in a better mood. So many good things were being set in motion, all thanks to her doing, and she was happy to see them all off to such a great start. She dressed quickly in a maroon turtleneck, dark jeans, and black converse before getting to all the glamour charms for her hair. Satisfied with her appearance, she grabbed a black wool pea coat and met up with Gin in the common room before heading out to town. The only minor setback to her wonderful morning was seeing Dolores Umbridge eyeing every student going into Hogsmeade, but thankfully that torture only lasted a few seconds. Hermione and Ginny quickly rushed past her towards the town for some minor shopping before a quick lunch and meeting up with Harry and Ron.

* * *

When Draco finally managed to find his way into Hogsmeade that afternoon, he spent the first hour or so buying an assortment of candies from Honeyduke's Sweetshop, some new pheasant feather quills that were at Scrivenshaft's Quill Shop, and poking around at some interesting looking items in Dervish and Banges. He knew that he couldn't go straight to the shack, and part of being a pureblooded wizard meant that his patronage at such places could influence sales. Not that it really made a difference in a village as small as Hogsmeade, but his classmates would also expect to see him around the village. After checking the time, he realized he only had fifteen minutes before his meeting with Hermione. Tucking his few purchases into a messenger bag, Draco turned to walk back down High Street towards the shack.

When he arrived, Draco stopped to take in the sight before him. Sure he had seen the Shrieking Shack before, but never with Hermione standing at a perfect profile to him with a backdrop of dying trees. He thought Hermione looked absolutely ravishing with her hair down and flowing slightly in the breeze. In those few moments, Draco gained a new appreciation for the fall and what it could do to change such simple sights into works of art.

She must have noticed his presence then, because she turned slowly and smiled. "There you are," was all she said before slowly walking up to him. He went to meet her half way, the angel of his dreams looking so perfect with such a sincere smile on her face.

"I'm surprised you managed to get away from Potter and Weasley so easily," Draco commented, if only to fill the empty space building around them.

"Well, after I told them about Ginny's boyfriend, they both seemed so shocked they could hardly speak," she laughed. Her laugh sounded so good to Draco, so honest and sincere and free. "I told them they should probably get back to the castle to tackle some of that homework instead of waiting until tomorrow night like they usually do, so they stumbled back easily enough."

Draco noticed a glint of something in Hermione's eyes as she spoke, not necessarily evil, but he began to think she was something of a tactician, easily moving people to do the things she wanted them to. She may have told those dimwits they should get to their homework, but she was really sending them away so she could be alone with him.

"When you talk like that, Granger, you make me think you should have been a Slytherin." Draco laughed quietly and waggled his eyebrows at the somewhat surprised looking Hermione. "Don't, get me wrong, it's freaking hot to see the perfect bookworm of Gryffindor scheming."

"It's not _scheming_, Malfoy," Hermione spat out his last name in hurt and crossed her arms. "It just so happened to be a convenient opening if I was to meet you here on time." She looked extremely vexed about something as she turned away from him and sat on a large rock nearby. After she calmed down a bit, she continued to say "I do not use my friends like pawns, and I do not sabotage them for my gain."

"Whoa, I didn't say you were sabotaging anyone!" Draco said in a calm voice, throwing his hands up, palms out, in a gesture of peace. "I just thought that it was a pretty smart way to get them back to school. If you didn't plan it," he began to grin, "then you're even better than I thought."

Before she could think of a reply, Draco moved to sit on her left. He added in a low voice, "Look, I'm just glad to be able to see you outside of the school grounds. I think it's nice." He stared her in the eyes and gave her his most sincere look. He needed her to believe him if they were going to start a relationship together.

She finally sighed, seeming to relax completely. "It just feels like I'm hiding something from my friends by being here," she said, looking to the ground by her feet. "I mean, I told Ginny that I was coming to see you, but she's so hesitant about you, always telling me to be careful and to keep my guard up around you. She honestly thinks you're up to no good."

"And what do you think?" Draco asked, looking at her troubled face and feeling sorry that he caused that crease in her brow.

She looked him straight in the eyes and said, "I trust you. There's no malice in what you say to me, I feel that you're only honest to me." Draco felt his chest unclench with those words, only then realizing that it had constricted at all.

He smiled then, a genuine smile that he only seemed capable of around this witch. She smiled hesitantly in return. "I'm glad that you feel that way," Draco said. He raised his right hand to brush her cheek and watched her eyes flutter shut. "Would it be too soon if I kissed you now?" he asked quietly. She shook her head and waited, eyes still closed and a silent "no" on her lips. Draco knew he would never get enough of those lips and leaned in.

When his lips finally met hers, Draco felt the same electricity run through his veins that he felt during their first kiss. Even though he only intended for this to be a quick, chaste kiss, he felt something in him urge him to go further. Unable to ignore his body's reaction, Draco began kissing Hermione with more intent. Loving the way she responded and adjusted to his tempo, he felt a growing need to taste her mouth. He slyly suckled her bottom lip, forcing her mouth to open. Without wasting a second, Draco swept his tongue into Hermione's mouth and began exploring every crevice. She eagerly responded and threw her hands behind his head, running her fingers through his hair but also holding him in place. He greedily wrapped his arms around her waist and back, pulling her so close she was almost in his lap.

The sudden sound of laughter made them both freeze. They turned to look at the path back to Hogsmeade but couldn't see anyone. Draco quickly grabbed Hermione's hand and dragged her into the trees. She began to say something, but he quickly hushed her, trying to hear who was coming.

Shortly after, a couple stumbled down the path. Draco thought he recognized them as older Hufflepuffs and, apparently, they thought the spot Hermione had picked was a pretty secluded spot as they quickly settled down on the same rock Draco and Hermione had been sitting on a minute ago.

Not wanting to see any more, Draco turned to Hermione. "Let's go back through the trees," he whispered, pointing in the direction of the town. She nodded in agreement and followed behind. He was still holding her hand as he led them through the forest, and it felt good to him. Her hand fit in his well, and even though it was such a small thing, it made him smile to himself, perfectly content with the proceedings of their first date, even if it was cut short.

When he could see the town again, Draco stopped and looked at Hermione. "We should leave separately," he said. She nodded, but she looked troubled. "What's wrong?" he asked quickly, afraid he may have been holding her hand too tight or that she may be too cold.

"Nothing's wrong, I was just wondering…" she began, but seemed unable to find the right words to say. Draco stayed patient, not wanting to push her into saying anything she wasn't comfortable with. She sighed again and said, "I was wondering if you wanted this to be exclusive."

"What do you mean?" Draco asked. It was his turn to look confused. "You said you wanted to be friends until we knew more about each other."

"Yes, I know," Hermione sounded almost impatient with him. "But that kiss back there, Draco, and the other night? Were those just normal to you? Because to me, those were.. they were just.."

"Amazing?" Draco finished for her with a smirk.

"Yes, they were mind blowing!" Hermione said raising her hands into the air to emphasize her point.

Draco leaned in and kissed Hermione on the tip of her nose. He laughed when he saw her frustration that he hadn't given her another 'mind blowing' kiss. Putting two fingers under her chin to keep her looking at him, Draco said, "Look, Hermione, if you want something serious, just let me know. That's what I've wanted from the start, but I backed off because you said you wanted us to get to know each other. If you're realizing now how silly that request was, then it's ok."

"So, you'll be my boyfriend?" she asked, sounding slightly childish and looking very timid.

It was too much for Draco, he couldn't stop the laugh that escaped his lips. "Yes, Hermione, I'll be your boyfriend, so long as you're my girlfriend in return." He let go of her chin to wrap his arms around her waist. She automatically raised her hands to the back of his neck, playing with his short golden hairs there.

"Of course, Draco," she smiled. He absolutely loved the way his name sounded coming from her mouth. She began to reach up to kiss him again, but he stopped her short by swooping down first. This kiss was the chaste one Draco had attempted earlier, kept in check only by their proximity to the village.

Regretfully pulling away, Draco looked down at Hermione and sighed. "Well, darling, we should get going soon," he said. "It's much too cold out here and I don't want you getting sick." He smiled at her again, holding her hands in his.

She nodded in agreement, but she still looked disappointed. "Well, who should go first?" was all she said.

"I think you should, it's only proper that a gentleman follows his lady," Draco said and gave her his signature smirk again.

She smiled a little at his comment, and asked, "Will you meet me later, Draco?"

"I would like that. Maybe this time we can go somewhere with a little more privacy? I would hate to be interrupted a second time today," he said jokingly. "How about we meet outside the library and I'll show you one of my favorite niches at school?"

"Ooh, do I get to see one of your hiding places when you feel like skiving off from class?" Hermione joked back.

"No, no, I wouldn't take you to one of those spots. There's hardly enough room for myself in there, let alone two people. On the other hand, we could be quite intimate in a spot like that…" Draco trailed off.

"Draco, I cannot believe you!" Hermione said, hitting him in the arm but with a smile on her face. "What happened to that gentleman you were describing just a second ago?"

"Well, that routine gets dull quick," he laughed and earned himself another light hit. "I'm sorry, it was just a joke! I swear! Look, just meet me at 7, ok?"

Hermione finally stopped hitting Draco's arm and sighed, knowing she really couldn't protest at the moment. "Alright, I suppose I'll just have to wait to see what dark hole you drag me to until then. But I'm not waiting outside the library for an indefinite amount of time. I'll just get there early and sit where I can see the entrance."

"Sounds like a good plan to me. Until later, Hermione," Draco gave her a quick hug and kiss on the cheek before pushing her lightly towards the street. Knowing that she couldn't protest or dawdle any longer once she was in public, he only had to wait a short amount of time before emerging himself and heading back to the castle that was his home.


	5. Chapter 9

Chapter 9: And the Countdown Starts

When Draco approached the library at 7 o'clock that evening, he got a clear view of Hermione in a small niche to the left side furiously writing on some parchment with several books surrounding her. She was clearly caught up in whatever she was working on, as she hadn't noticed him approaching her table until he was standing right in front of her. With a startled jump, Hermione quickly realized who was facing her and took a calming breath.

"I nearly jumped out of my skin, Draco!" Hermione scornfully whispered as he laughed lightly. "You should make more noise next time so you don't surprise me so much."

"Well, you said you would be in view of the entrance and it's not like I tried sneaking over here," Draco replied cheekily, earning himself a slight scowl. "You should be more aware of your surroundings, especially with the way things seem to be going this year," he added darkly, his smile faltering.

Hermione seemed a little shocked at the assumption Draco had made, but then her face turned to one of contemplation. What was his little Gryffindor planning that could have her in such serious thought? Certainly it didn't have to do with Umbridge, as he tried to imply, or maybe she just misconstrued his meaning.

Not really wanting to find out either way, and starting to feel slightly awkward by the growing silence, Draco cleared his throat. She instantly looked at him, smiling brilliantly and in a way that let him know she was definitely going back to those thoughts later. He politely smiled back and said, "Hermione, I think we should probably get going before people start to wonder why we are so near each other and the library is still quiet."

"Oh, of course," Hermione gasped, grabbing her things up quickly with Draco helping minimally. Of course he would have liked to clean up her things for her, but she kept snatching at everything just as his hand started moving towards it.

"You know, Granger," Draco slyly started saying, "It's kind of hard to be chivalrous when the woman you are attempting to woo does everything before you can even start to help." He laughed lightly as he handed her the last item left on the table: her quill.

Smiling and placing the quill in her bag, Hermione began blushing as she said, "I'm sorry, I'm just not used to this kind of attention." She started walking toward the hall with Draco beside her and thoughtfully added, "I only ever spend time with Harry or Ron, and neither of them knows what chivalrous means. Ron would probably think it's a type of food."

Draco pictured the Weasel King walking into a bakery and asking for 'chivalrous' and couldn't help the laugh that escaped his lips. He got a sidelong glance from Hermione, but chose to keep that particular thought to himself. When they finally exited the library, Draco turned to go up some stairs.

"Where exactly are we going, Draco?" Hermione asked him, confusion clearly on her face.

"Well, it would appear that we are going upstairs," Draco smarmily commented for the benefit of some third year students passing by. After they were gone, he stopped her and put his mouth close to her ear, whispering, "Look, as long as we're out in the open just act like this is prefect business. Nobody will ask questions if we both look unhappy about being together."

"But that's not true," Hermione began protesting. "At least, it's not anymore."

Draco smiled as he pulled away from her. "We can talk about it once we get there," Draco's smile was absolutely gorgeous. Her words affirming that she liked being around him were the best he had ever heard. "Come on, just one more flight of stairs," he said before quickly leading her to their destination.

* * *

Ron could not believe his eyes.

He had simply been on his way back to the common room after stuffing his face at dinner when he saw Hermione leaving the library with a smug looking Draco, and she looked happy! Ron could not think of a single reason that the two of them could be happy to be in each other's presence. Even while performing prefect duties, they shouldn't have looked so jolly to be around each other. Not having the mental capacity to do much of anything at that point, Ron quickly lost sight of them as they climbed the staircase in front of him.

Cursing his bad luck and finally closing his gaping mouth, Ron set off determinedly to find Harry in their common room and tell him the newest development in his ex's life.

* * *

"Close your eyes."

"I don't know if I'm comfortable with that, Draco," Hermione said, slightly shaking her head.

"I want it to be a surprise," Draco earnestly tried comforting Hermione. "It's only so I can take a second to make sure it's all clean." He gave her one of those amazing smiles again and she couldn't refuse.

"I should think if you were planning on bringing me here, you would have had time to at least clean it up a bit," Hermione joked, receiving a mock disappointed look from Draco. "Ok, but only for a second," she smiled slightly and shut her eyes. She heard the sound of the door open and close, and then of Draco casting some simple cleaning spells on the room beyond. After about half a minute she heard the door open again, and Draco gently guided her into the room by her shoulders.

"Open," he whispered in her ear, standing just behind her. What Hermione saw wasn't quite what she had expected to be one of Draco's favorite spots. Certainly there were no green and silver drapes hanging about and there were no leather couches, like she remembered Harry and Ron saying were in the Slytherin common room, and it was certainly not freezing like the dungeons.

What she found instead was a wide room, stretching far to her left and right, but quite short in front of her. Actually, calling it a room seemed inappropriate, as the wall in front of her was just railing and trellis, allowing for a beautiful view of the surrounding grounds and forest east of the castle. The sun was already hanging low in the sky behind them, casting most of the grounds in shadow, but the little light remaining lit the forest up wondrously.

"It's beautiful up here!" Hermione gasped, raising her hands to her mouth. Draco chuckled slightly as she moved away from him and to the rail. Turning around to face him, she put her bum on the rail and crossed her arms. "Mr. Malfoy, I am simply astonished that you would find all this nature beautiful. I would have figured it wouldn't agree with your posh upbringing," Hermione smugly joked while keeping a false air of dignity about her.

"Well," Draco responded, as serious as her, "with all my 'posh upbringing,' I have had quite some time to explore the world and see the true beauty we forget about living in cities." He moved closer to her, a small smile playing on his lips. Staring right into her chocolate brown eyes, Draco almost whispered, "You, Hermione, are a true beauty beyond comparison."

A small gasp was the first of Hermione's quick responses. Her brain went into overdrive telling her to say something to acknowledge Draco's generous compliment, so she replied "You are too kind to say that." But Draco didn't seem to mind her feeble attempt at modesty, still slowly closing the gap between them, and staring into his silvery eyes, she could see a hint of desire, making her heart beat increase dramatically.

Finally reaching her, Draco put his hands on her shoulders, lightly caressing them through her jacket. "Hermione, you are a beautiful woman," he said quietly. Leaning his head towards her ear, giving her goose bumps, he added, "I would like to show you how beautiful I think you are."

Shuddering slightly under his touch, Hermione could perfectly understand how Draco was earning his title of 'Slytherin Sex God.' If he talked to every woman this way, it was no wonder they were lining up for his bed. But Hermione had a stronger will than all those before her. Slightly relaxing her crossed arms, she moved them to his lower back, leaning her head against his shoulder. "I don't think I'm ready for all of this, Draco. It's wonderful being with you, but I'm just not ready to do that."

"Hermione, we don't have to do anything you don't want," Draco grinned, pulling away from her enough so she could see his face. "There are plenty of ways for me to show you how I feel. For example," Draco leaned down once more to connect his lips with Hermione's. After pressing her lips to his a few times, she felt his tongue lick her bottom lip, asking for entrance. Hermione eagerly granted it and began twining her tongue around his. Draco's arms moved from her shoulders to cup her face, pulling her more into him and off the railing. Hermione unconsciously tried to pull his body closer to hers as well, simply drowning in the kisses he was giving her. Finally separating to breathe, the two put their foreheads together and Hermione let out a deep sigh.

"Draco, I truly believe I've had you wrong all along," Hermione admitted.

"It's about time you figured that out," Draco laughed, causing Hermione to smile. He gave her another small kiss before she lightly pushed him back.

"I think it's getting late enough, Draco. We should probably head back," Hermione said trying to get back before her friends became suspicious of her absence.

"I don't think you really want to leave," Draco dared, but kept his distance.

"No, actually, I would rather stay but the sun has already gone down and Harry and Ron are so dim witted they would probably send a search party to find me," Hermione tried to joke while pushing thoughts of the Marauders Map to the back of her mind.

"If you say so," Draco started looking at her with more lust than she had seen before, "but I don't think they would find us for some time." Hermione could tell Draco was attempting to seduce her into staying, but she also knew with that map her friends would be sure to catch them. That was just another great problem for Hermione to have to deal with later.

"I'm sorry, Draco," Hermione said, turning and backing towards the door to leave. "I'd rather not risk it. You know Harry has a bad superhero complex and I wouldn't be able to stand it if he hurt you by accident." Not liking the hurt she could see in his eyes, Hermione quickly ran back to him and kissed him one final time. Breaking it off before he could really respond, Hermione turned to leave again, saying "I'll keep in touch about seeing you again!"

And with that she was out the door.

AN: So, how about that for an exit? And I know it has been forever since I've updated and I'm terribly sorry about that. I think there may be some confusion about where this story is going so expect an update really soon with just an explanation of what I want this story to represent. Please leave reviews to spur me into writing more and soon! Also, if you have concerns about grammar or word choice, let me know so I can try fixing it! Thank you all for sticking with me! :D


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